County Championship: Essex beat Somerset by 196 points

LV = County Championship Division One, Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford (Day Four) Essex 462-9 December and 170-7 December: Critchley 52; Aldridge 4-36 Somerset 167 & 269: Abell 83; Porter 3-31 Essex (22 pts) beat Somerset (2 pts) by 196 points Match scoreboard numbers 8-178 and Porter rounded the tail.

Somerset had stoically batted in hopes of batting 151 overs, or hitting 466 to win, but they were eventually knocked out for 269 with two sessions to spare.

Essex won just two league games at home last season and recently went unbeaten at Chelmsford between September 2018 and September 2022.

The day's action was preceded by a minute of silence for the three victims of the Nottingham attacks, the players of both teams and the referees wearing black armbands as the flags were at half mast.

The two deceased 19-year-old students had both have links to Essex and Somerset cricket. Barnaby Webber played for Bishops Hull Cricket Club in Taunton while Grace Kumar captained Essex from Under-11 to Under-15 level.

Somerset showed a great fight and courage on night three to give Somerset hope to salvage a draw, after being knocked out for 167 with a 295 lead in the first inning.

But Tom Kohler-Cadmore's dismissal at the final ball of the day strongly tilted the mentality in favor of Essex.

Tom Abell and James Rew hit the first 137 balls of the morning, sending 56 with great skill.

The second new ball was coming and it would prove decisive for visitors.